Andhra Pradesh - Others   

Major fire at earthmovers unit office

Staff Reporter

The flames, continuing for two hours, create a scare among local residents

REDUCED TO ASHES: Dark smoke billows out of Vishnutech shop in Vijayawada on Monday. — Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

VIJAYAWADA: Close on the heels of a medium fire that broke out in an herbal extraction unit in Autonagar barely a couple of days ago, a major fire broke out in an office-cum-godown of a popular earthmoving equipment firm in Srinagar Colony on Monday, in which property worth Rs.15 lakhs was reduced to ashes. As the office was situated in the midst of a residential colony, the flames that kept leaping up for nearly two hours created a scare among local residents.

The accident happened in the office of Vishnu Tech Engineers Limited, a dealer in spare parts and lubricants of JCB earthmovers, in Rythu Nilayam Complex near Vinayaka Theatre around 7.30 a.m. Short circuit was reportedly the reason for the fire.

According to eyewitnesses, Y. Raghu, a mess owner, who stays in an adjacent building, was the first to notice the fire. He alerted Venkateswara Rao, the watchman for the Rythu Nilayam Complex, who resides in the second floor of the same building.

The two ran down to ground floor and attempted to put out the fire. Realising that they had no chance of succeeding, they informed the Fire Services Department around 8 a.m. By the time the fire tenders reached the spot, fire engulfed the entire premises of the office-cum-godown. "It took us nearly two hours to bring the fire under control," said District Fire Officer D. Murali Mohan.

As the building was situated in a residential area, it should not have been leased out for use as a godown, he maintained.

Some of the traders, Mr. Murali Mohan revealed, had converted buildings in Satyanarayanapuram, One Town and Kedareswarapeta into commercial premises and started storing oils, chappals and other inflammable materials. "Upon receiving information from the local people, we have shifted these godowns from residential areas to non-residential areas," he said.

In a statement, Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar asked people to inform the municipal corporation authorities of instances of "unlawful storing of inflammable materials in residential areas".

25 houses destroyed

GUNTUR: A major fire broke out at a wedding venue on a crowded lane in Venkatadripet colony in Nehru Nagar destroying 25 houses and rendering scores of families homeless. Fire department officials estimated the loss to be around Rs.15 lakh. However, no human loss was reported.

The fire reportedly broke out when flames erupted from a cooking stove engaged for a wedding slated to be held in the afternoon. Timely action by the cooking personnel saved the day for many, as they had pulled out the gas cylinders from the spot.

Retired government employee, Koteswara Rao, who kept some Rs. 1 lakh for building a house, lost it in the fire. Fire tenders from Guntur were rushed in to control the fire.

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